


In Darkness and in Light

by yeolallineed



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Halloween Special, M/M, baekhyun has excaped hell, chanyeol has to go get him back, god au mixed with halloween theme, god of heaven, god of hell, mild makeout, some shit i cant explain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:51:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeolallineed/pseuds/yeolallineed
Summary: Chanyeol, is the king of heaven, Baekhyun, king of hell.Hell is on a lockdown. But on 31st Oct, Baekhyun finds a way to escape to earth.To contain him, Chanyeol must go find him & send him back.Little did he know, he'd fall in love in the process.





	In Darkness and in Light

What belongs in hell, stays in hell.

What belong in heaven, stays in heaven.

Hell and heaven are like two opposite poles and under no circumstances, should cross each other by.

It is believed that millions and millions of years ago, hell and heaven were the same. And it was not a place. Rather a person. A god to be precise.

A god called Zion.

When time was created, Zion became the judge of souls. Among gods, he was also called Judgement.

The good souls were allowed to be reincarnated while the bad souls were consumed by Zion. As time went by, the balance of good and bad budged. As evil grew, it led Zion to consume more and more evil souls and soon, his own body began to corrupt.

Until one day, when Zion became the embodiment of evil himself.

To stop him, the gods decided to separate his body from his soul and lock it in the pits of doom.

An act so outrageous, could never be carried out without tearing the fabric of universe. So when Zion’s soul was extracted from his body, it created a rip in the composition of existence, splitting it into two; heaven and hell.

While Zion’s body was forever locked in hell, his soul, as pure as time itself, was sent to heaven and a rule was set in motion that creatures of hell would never be able to come to heaven while creatures of heaven, weren’t allowed in hell.

Despite his growing evil, Zion loved his creations; humans. Each one was a wonder of its own and Zion reveled in the fact that he had created each of them with great precision.

So when the soul was split from the body, Zion perished, but the gods cursed his body to never unite with his soul again. If it did, the act would wreak havoc on the only thing he cared about, humans.

Since then, hell and heaven’s path have never crossed.

Since, then, existence had stayed still.

Until one day, when their paths did cross.

Zion’s soul took a physical form to rule heaven. And it was named Chanyeol.

His body, that was sent to hell, was named Baekhyun.

Over time, humans crated their own folklores about Zion and the legend travelled down through millenniums, translating into tales of love. Soulmate, as the humans called them, was a slightly altered version of the reality. What humans believed to be the unification of two souls that were in sync, was actually the unification of a soul with its body. Making them one.

As time went by, tales of Zion got lost in the pages of the world and only the word ‘soulmate’ was left behind.

Years went by and Zion’s body, Baekhyun stayed locked in hell. Baekhyun knew he had been cursed to stay stuck in the dark, horrid place for the rest of eternity and he was aware that there was no escape. But with time, Baekhyun began missing his creation. The humans. All he craved was to go down on earth and see them once.

Hell was locked in a protective barrier by the gods which was like an electric fence. Any attempt to cross it, would lead his soul to perish. And Baekhyun did not want that.

For years he looked for a way to sneak out, for just one day. Go to earth, mingle with his precious humans and return back to hell. No one would have to know.

But after eons of trying and failing, Baekhyun was on the verge of giving up.

Until one day, when one of his demons, Kyungsoo came up to him.

“The barrier is weak” he announced to his king as the latter was sitting idle in his chamber playing checkers.

“What do you mean?”

“I got a word from someone passing by that there is a celebration going on in heaven”

Celebration? Baekhyun wondered what it was about. And then it came to him. Heaven was celebrating the day Baekhyun was contained and sent to hell.

“That happens every year” Baekhyun said. “What about it?”

“This year the Guardians of Barrier have joined in the celebration too”

This was odd. Baekhyun knew the Guardians of Barrier never joined in the festivities of the heaven. What was so special about this day?

“What day is it?” Baekhyun asked his demon.

“October 31st, 43 A.D” Kyungsoo said.

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows and looked his demon weirdly. “What measurement of time is that?”

“Humans invented it and it’s very systematic” Kyungsoo said, suddenly drawing a scroll from the air and showing in to Baekhyun. “You see the time before A.D was called…”

“Oh shut up” Baekhyun said, snapping his finger and the scroll immediately caught fire. “Tell me in terms I understand”

Kyungsoo broke into a frown. “October the 31st, year 4,541,783,043”

Baekhyun nodded and wondered what was so special about the day that it would cause all of heaven to come together.

And then it clicked him. He knew why it was such a grand event in the heaven. Today marked 5 million years since his soul had been split from his body and it was obvious that the Guardians of Barrier would join in too.

“Are you sure the barrier is weak?” Baekhyun asked.

Kyungsoo nodded. “It’s still strong for demons and other creatures here but not strong enough to contain you”

Baekhyun thought about it for a minute. “I supposed the festivities will last till the dawn breaks?”

“Yes” Kyungsoo said with a bow and Baekhyun smiled.

“Then it’s time for me to go down to earth”

There was a strange rumor spreading through heaven. All the gods were on their toes, trying to figure out how it happened. But none spoke too loud, careful enough to not let the king of heaven, Chanyeol hear it.

All the gods in existence feared him. He was cold and austere with his words and actions and despite the fact that he was the embodiment of Zion’s soul, in most days, he came off as soulless.

With zero tolerance towards mistakes and no patience to deal with things that didn’t directly concern him, Chanyeol ruled heaven most efficiently. Too efficiently if one might ask.

So when the news of Baekhyun escaping hell and going on earth surfaced in heaven, everyone was jittery and nervous, thinking how to let Chanyeol know what had happened.

It was only then that the oldest god that creation had ever known, the god of water, Junmyeon, decided to speak to Chanyeol. Junmyeon was probably the only god Chanyeol respected enough to not flip out on.

“Chanyeol” Junmyeon said in a low tone as the god of heaven sat on his high chair, drinking wine from a chalice in tranquility.

He looked at the god of water and cocked his head.

“There is a problem” Junmyeon said.

He knew Chanyeol did not like talking much. Or at all. So he continued. “Baekhyun has escaped from hell”

This earned him a raised eyebrow from the Chanyeol.

“And we believe he is on earth”

Chanyeol got up from his high chair and began walking towards the center of the circular hall where everyone was seated. It was like he was thinking.

Slowly, he turned around and looked at Junmyeon again. “How did he escape?”

The Guardians of Barriers began shivering upon this question as they knew they would be severely punished for leaving hell unprotected.

“Doesn’t matter” Junmyeon said. “What matter is that he needs to be sent back”

“Why are you telling me this?” Chanyeol asked and turned his eyes towards the four Guardians sitting on the opposite side of where Junmyeon was standing. “Those who let him escape, should get him back”

His voice was so cold that a shiver ran down everyone’s spine in the hall.

“Only you can get him back” Junmyeon said. “His body is connected to yours. We exerted everything we had when we split his soul. I’m afraid none of us can send him back to hell”

Chanyeol’s face was expressionless and it was impossible to say what he was thinking. “How do you suppose I will find him? I don’t even know what he looks like”

“Only you can find him. He is a part of you. You’ll know who he is the moment you see him”

Chanyeol thought about it for a minute. He knew having Baekhyun on earth, unleashed and uncontrolled was a very dangerous event. No one knew what he was capable of doing. He if stayed on earth long enough, slowly, all souls from hell would bleed onto earth, making it a hell in itself.

He knew he had to go and bring him to hell.

“How am I supposed to contain him?” Chanyeol asked.

At this, Junmyeon waved his hand in the air and drew out what looked like a twisted horn from air.

“This is called the Sofar of Death” he said. “When your soul was split from your body, the gods created this with the last of powers that split heaven and hell. They thought a day might come when Baekhyun would escape hell, along with all the demons and spirits and this was created to bring them all back to hell”

Chanyeol reached out and took the sofar from Junmyeon. He was weightless against his hand. The ivory shining exterior gave it a diving glow but despite its physical existence, it weighed like air.

“Where on earth?” Chanyeol finally asked before preparing himself to descend down.

When Junmyeon was done telling him his location, he looked at Chanyeol worriedly. “Chanyeol, just remember one thing, no matter what happens, you are not allowed to unite with him. If you do, the world will be in danger”

Earth had changed since Baekhyun had last been here. Humans had evolved. They were more refined now. More sophisticated, if so. No longer did they look like barbarians who lived in caves. They had also upgraded their skills.

Language had been invented, which Baekhyun thought was a little too late for them considering how they could have done that millennia ago. They had learned to use the basic elements of earth to create and nurture life force.

And Baekhyun loved every part of it.

Everything was so new, so fascinating that Baekhyun couldn’t help but marvel in his own creation.

He roamed the place with a smile like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Suddenly his eyes fell on a tavern and the wine they were serving. Along with the food.

The last time Baekhyun had been on earth, the food was mainly raw meat and vegetables. Humans had finally invented fire and Baekhyun couldn’t wait to see what humans could make from it. He was sure the food here was a million times better than that in hell. With this thought, Baekhyun went inside the tavern.

Chanyeol appeared on earth immediately after he left heaven. The first thing he did was confirm if he was in the right place.

He found a man carrying a barrel was water and stopped him.

“What place is this?” he asked.

The man eyes him and his pure white robes weirdly first. “Ar Broioù Keltiek” he said but Chanyeol looked at him cluelessly. “Breizh” he finally said.

All Chanyeol did was nod in response.

The man shook his head, probably thinking Chanyeol was a madman and went on his way.

Chanyeol walked down the gravely road in search for Baekhyun with the sofar neatly hidden under his robes.

The sun was about to set in an hour and Chanyeol knew he was wasting precious time.

As he treaded the path through the marketplace, Chanyeol suddenly felt something strange in his chest, right in the middle. He placed his palm over it calmly, wondering what could have triggered that.

It was then that he remembered what Junmyeon had told him. That he would just be able to know who Baekhyun is the moment he saw him. Could this mean that he was somewhere around?

Chanyeol spun around, trying to locate Baekhyun when suddenly, his eyes fell on this petite looking creature who was dressed in all black. Chanyeol signed in disappointment. If the god of hell wanted to be on earth undetected, the least he could do was to dress up to fit in. He stood out in the oddest sense from everyone else there.

As Chanyeol’s eyes lingered on Baekhyun, the feeling in his chest grew in scale. He felt a sudden warmth in the middle of his heart when his eyes traced Baekhyun’s make. Like his body was able to recognize him before he could.

Slowly, Chanyeol walked up to him and sat down on the barstool right next.

Baekhyun turned his eyes away from the wine he was drinking to Chanyeol and he looked at him from top to bottom.

“Ah fuck” he muttered. “I haven’t been here even an hour. How did you find me so fast?”

Chanyeol chose not to say anything. Baekhyun was such an odd creature. All of existence feared Chanyeol, and yet, here Baekhyun was, talking to him like he was a passing angel. Perhaps he did not recognize him.

“Do you know who I am?”

Baekhyun nodded. “You’re king of heaven, aren’t you?”

So he did know who Chanyeol was and chose to talk down on him deliberately!

“It’s time for you to go back” Chanyeol said, his hands reaching into his robes to pull the Sofar of Death out. Chanyeol knew this was a risky place to blow the horn. He also knew that blowing into it would claim the lives of everyone in the tavern. But he did not care. Containing Baekhyun was more important.

Just as he was about to take the sofar out, Baekhyun interrupted him.

“Oh come on” Baekhyun hissed. “Let me just finish this drink. The wine here is so much better than in hell. Plus the bread here comes in three different varieties” he said pulling three fingers out, in front of Chanyeol’s face. “There’s plain bread” he continued, counting on his fingers. “There’s cheese bread and then there is sweet bread”

Gaping his mouth in excitement, Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol. “How fascinating is that, huh? In hell we just have stale bread and the wine just tastes like water” he frowned.

Baekhyun was a little too enthusiastic for Chanyeol’s liking and he wanted nothing but to bring him back to hell but looking at how excited he was about the wine and the bread, Chanyeol supposed there was no harm in filling him up before leaving.

Baekhyun drank four more glasses of wine while Chanyeol kept his gaze fixed on him. After he was done, Baekhyun got up.

“I need to take a piss” he said. “I’ll be right back”

Chanyeol was about to get up and follow Baekhyun when the bartended grabbed him by the wrist and stopped him.

“One has to stay at all times”

Chanyeol blinked at the man. He had no idea what he had just said.

“I need to follow him”

“You can pay up and go wherever you want” the man casually spoke and Chanyeol found it preposterous. Why should he pay when he hadn’t touched a drop of wine or a morsel of bread in that place?

So he decided to wait for Baekhyun to return.

A few minutes passed by and Baekhyun still hadn’t come back.

“I don’t think you’re friend’s going to return” the bartender spoke.

“He’s not my friend” Chanyeol let out furiously.

“Yeah… I don’t care. You pay or you can’t leave”

Chanyeol had never been so confused in his life. What kind of conspiracy was this?

“I don’t have anything to pay you with” he confessed after a while.

The bartended looked at him from head to toe before his eyes fell on the ring Chanyeol was wearing.

“That would do just fine” the man said. Chanyeol knew he was already wasting time staying there while Baekhyun was out somewhere doing who knew what so Chanyeol hurriedly took his ring off and placed in on the table.

“Thank you, good sir” the man said with a smile. “You can go now”

Chanyeol couldn’t believe what had happened. In just a few minutes, he had been conned by Baekhyun and had been extorted by the bartender. This was making him beyond furious now.

He rushed out of the tavern, looking for Baekhyun in his mad rage. Balling his hands into tight fists, Chanyeol walked into the busy street, knowing that the moment he saw Baekhyun next, he would use the sofar immediately.

Chanyeol searched through every corner of the street and the area to locate Baekhyun. With each passing minute, he found himself getting angrier and angrier. This should have been over the minute Chanyeol stepped into the bar. But he was stupid to believe the words of a corrupted and vile creature.

Chanyeol walked out of the marketplace and was traveling down a stone bridge above a river. There were people on either side of the bridge, selling various kinds of things Chanyeol hasn’t seen before. Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen and he did not know if the road he was walking down, was the right one.

Then suddenly, the warm feeling in his heart grew back again. And Chanyeol knew, he just knew that Baekhyun was nearby. His eyes travelled to the other side of the river where Baekhyun was sitting on the banks with his feet emerged in the water.

Chanyeol gave out a little smirk. Did Baekhyun actually think he could escape him?

Carefully, he reached inside his robes and took the sofar out. The casualty would be everyone on the bridge and by the river. This was a bigger number of deaths as compared to the tavern but Chanyeol did not know he would get another chance.

He drew it onto his lips, eyes locked on Baekhyun.

Just as he was about to blow into it, he saw something unexpected.

Baekhyun was not alone by the bank. In fact, he was playing around and having fun with at least 8 kids.

Chanyeol knew he was cruel, but he wasn’t cruel enough to let eight innocent children die.

Sighing, he kept the sofar back inside his robes and instead, decided to pay Baekhyun a visit.

When he went near, Chanyeol saw Baekhyun was skipping stones into the water and everyone was competing against each other to see how far the stones would go.

Without saying a word, Chanyeol walked over and sat down right next to Baekhyun.

“Where were you?” Baekhyun asked when he saw Chanyeol.

In response, Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. What sort of new game was this? First Baekhyun had conned him and how he was pretending like he had been waiting for Chanyeol? None of this added up and Chanyeol was not ready to fall for his tricks.

“You can’t run away from me” Chanyeol said in a low voice.

Baekhyun looked at him with a straight face. “I am not trying to run from you”

“You excused yourself for a while and you didn’t come back”

Baekhyun looked confused. “Yeah but I sent word that I would be by the river”

“Stop with your lies”

“I am not lying” Baekhyun said in an urgent voice. “He Sehun” he said, turning around to the seven year old kid playing in sand. “Didn’t I tell you to go into the bar and tell the person in white robes that I was going to the river?”

Sehun approached him steadily, his head bent low.

“It’s okay” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol noted that there was a lot of compassion in his voice when he spoke. “It’s okay. Come here”

Baekhyun raised his hand open and Sehun walked towards him slowly.

Sehun looked scared out of his wits.

“I’m not mad. Just tell me what happened”

“I… the food” he began but soon, tears began flowing out of his eyes.

“It’s fine” Baekhyun said softly. “I won’t scold you. Tell me what happened”

Sehun nodded. “I was walking into the tavern when I saw the old lady by the bakery selling breads and I and my sister were hungry so I used the money to buy it”

Chanyeol had expected Baekhyun to be mad, but instead, he smiled at the child. And Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun had been, indeed telling the truth.

Baekhyun wiped the tears out of Sehun’s face.

“It’s a bad habit take someone else’s money Sehun”

Even when Baekhyun was reprimanding the child, he was so careful and kind with his words that anyone passing by would never guess that he was actually the ruler of hell.

“If you promise to never do that again, I will tell you a secret”

Sehun nodded immediately and smiled at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun gestured Sehun to come closer and in a voice no one could hear, he whispered something into his ears that made him very happy.

After that, Baekhyun asked all the kids to gather around.

“Are you all hungry?” Baekhyun asked and the kids nodded and jumped where they were standing.

“Okay” Baekhyun laughed. “Close your eyes and count to five and when you open them, every food that you think of, will appear in front of you”

The kids covered their eyes with their hands and counted to five.

Baekhyun snapped his finger and suddenly there was a lavish spread of food right there on the banks of the river.

The kids opened their eyes and gasped at what they saw and immediately leapt towards the food.

Chanyeol was watching everything in wonder. What even _was_ this strange creature that sat beside him?

The god of heaven couldn’t help but notice how Baekhyun’s face lit up when he saw the kids eating to their heart’s content and the more he saw, the more curious he got.

“What did you tell the kid?” he asked, pointing to Sehun.

Baekhyun smiled. “Nothing much. I told him that if he is a good boy and studies enough, he will grow up to be a scholar and that he will be rich”

Chanyeol did not understand. Was this a prophecy Baekhyun had made?

“Is it true?” he asked, letting his curiosity get better of him.

Baekhyun just shrugged and continued smiling. “Who knows?”

Chanyeol blinked at the absurdity of the situation. “So you just lied to him?”

Well what else could he expect from someone who belonged in hell?

Baekhyun turned to look at him straight in the eye before he spoke. “No” he said. “I gave him hope”

The kids were done eating when they heard voices coming from the other side of the river.

People waved their hands at them to cross the bridge and come over.

Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol seemed confused as to what had just happened.

“Sehun” Baekhyun asked, turning around. “What’s going on?”

Sehun stood up, ready to leave. “It’s the last day of the harvest year. We’re making bonfires and burning the first harvest to please the gods to bless us with good crops. This year there were floods and a lot of crops were destroyed so we’ll pray for next year’s crops to have good yield” He then walked over to Baekhyun and held his hand in his own small, delicate ones.

Slowly, he pulled on them. “Let’s go”

Baekhyun turned to Chanyeol who looked at him gravely. There was no way he was letting this creature go anywhere else.

“I am sorry Sehun” Baekhyun said. “I can’t go with you. I have to go back home”

At this, Sehun became a little gloomy. “Can’t you go after the festival?”

“I am afraid I have to go now” Baekhyun said, patting his tiny head.

Chanyeol could see that Sehun was trying not to cry. Such maturity for such a young boy. He couldn’t help but give in to the plea he saw in Sehun’s eyes.

“Just until the festival” Chanyeol said in his grim voice and both Baekhyun and Sehun looked at him surprisingly.

Sehun got so excited that he ran towards Chanyeol and flung his tiny arms around him to hug him from his back. An automatic mile broke out on Chanyeol’s face which he tried to hide.

Standing up, they walked towards the bridge with Baekhyun walking forward and Chanyeol carrying Sehun on his back to reach the celebrations.

When they reached the clearing by the river on the other side, Chanyeol saw it was a huge gathering of people. Commoners from all parts of the area had come together to celebrate the event. There was food, nothing too exquisite, wine and of course, a lot of merriment.

It was simple, really. There was nothing grand or extraordinary about the place or the celebration and yet Chanyeol found people happily exchanging wishes and dancing around while a group of men were busy in creating music to liven the atmosphere.

Soon everyone was seated and so were Baekhyun and Chanyeol. They faced the bonfire as one after the other, people stood up.

Chanyeol watched in amusement as they pulled up a bag from their side and walked to the center, where the bonfire was lit.

Then slowly, they opened the bag and began throwing things into the fire.

Chanyeol was surprised.

“What are they doing?” he asked Baekhyun.

“They’re throwing the first crop of the season into the fire”

This confused Chanyeol even more.

“Why are they wasting food when they are already short on it?”

Chanyeol remembered that Sehun had told them that they had bad harvest this year.

“It’s not a waste, it’s more like… a sacrifice” Baekhyun said. “They’re making sacrifices to please the gods to let them have a good harvest for the next year”

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun. “Don’t they know it doesn’t work? No one up there cares for their sacrifices”

“Shh” Baekhyun suddenly turned and shushed him. “Don’t say that”

Chanyeol was left astounded. No one had ever shushed him before. No one had even dared to. And yet this creature from hell had the audacity to act so recklessly.

Chanyeol was about to say something but before he could he saw the way Baekhyun’s face broke into a grin when he witnessed the people going round in circles along the fire, throwing their first crops into it while they sang their prayers.

And then he closed his eyes, like he was absorbing their chants deep inside his mind.

“Even if the heavens don’t care about their sacrifices” Baekhyun spoke softly, eyes still closed, “the people here do not have to know that”

“Why?” Chanyeol asked.

“Because it gives them a reason to keep moving on. It gives them hope”

Hope.

Here it was again.

This was the second time Baekhyun had used this word that Chanyeol didn’t quite understand. There were no hopes in heaven. There was only the will of the gods. They did not have to hope or wait for anything. They dictated the law of the world and a thing called hope was a mere myth, a fallacy, if one may call it that.

But Baekhyun spoke like he knew everything about this word. Like he knew what it meant. And this fascinated Chanyeol even more. How could a creature from hell know what hope is and someone from heaven didn’t?

Suddenly Baekhyun stood up. “Let’s eat”

Even though Chanyeol wasn’t hungry, he was practically forced to stuff his plate with food by the people there and everything about this place baffled Chanyeol.

First, he was a stranger. And yet the people around had no problem in including him in the festival.

Second, they already had limited food and yet they gave Chanyeol more than he would ever eat because he was a guest.

And third, they did not seem bothered or sad about throwing their first harvest into the fire. In fact, they seemed happy about it.

All this only made Chanyeol want to know about these creatures more and more.

The king of heaven and the king of hell sat a little away from the crowd, far at the back where no one could hear them speak.

He was slowly sipping on his wine as he eyed Chanyeol carefully.

Suddenly, Chanyeol turned towards Baekhyun and raised his eyebrow.

“I’m just wondering” Baekhyun said, clearly comprehending what Chanyeol’s raised eyebrow meant. “That you are what my soul looks like”

Baekhyun then ran his hand over his face. “And I look like this. It’s like you got an upgrade or something. Why did they have to give you that form? They could have just made you look like me”

“No one gave me this form” Chanyeol said, voice as low as ever. “I took this form myself”

“Well you think very highly of yourself, don’t you?”

“You should too” Chanyeol suddenly spoke before realizing what he had said.

Baekhyun immediately broke into a smile. “Did you just say I was incredibly good looking?”

Chanyeol looked away immediately, a little shy and chose not to reply to such futile questions. He rather focused on finishing the food given to him so he could then send Baekhyun back to hell.

Just as Chanyeol took his last bite, a voice echoed out to him.

“Story time” an elderly man in his 80’s perhaps shouted and all the kids there began jumping with excitement.

“Which one do you want to hear?” the man asked.

Almost all the kids yelled in unison. “Zion”

Chanyeol and Baekhyun stared at the crowd in astonishment and then looked at each other.

“This will be interesting” Baekhyun said and got up, running towards the rest.

Chanyeol too followed him and joined the crowd.

Once everyone was settled, the old man began. “Millions and millions of years ago, a god named Zion ruled the earth. He was the god of creation, but also the god of love, life and death. He was kind and benevolent and the gods called him Judgment for his fairness towards all creatures.”

Baekhyun smiled as the kids broke out into an applause.

“It is said that Zion’s existence was so pure, that any bad soul that he consumed, was believed to be purified itself. He sent all good souls back to earth to give them another life while all the bad souls, were purified and turned into the stars”

A few wondrous cheer from the crowd made the storytelling more lively and Baekhyun immersed deep into it.

“But then… the evil on earth rose. With greed, came war. With war, came the lust for power. And as the count of evil tolled high, Zion started flooding with more evil souls than he could purify. It was like an infection that grew rapidly. As time passed by, Zion became plagued by evilness until one day, when he wanted to destroy his own creation, the humans”

The kids gasped and unknowingly, so did Baekhyun.

“He then decided that it was time to separate good from evil, wrong from right. The gods up there were aware of what was happening. Zion begged them to kill him before something catastrophic could happen but the gods had other plans. They knew they needed a system to filter the good and the bad souls and with Zion dead, the system will fail. So instead, they decided to split him into two. Zion’s soul was still pure while his body was infected by evilness. The gods decided to pull his soul out from his body to separate him from himself. When they did that, the forces split the universe into two; heaven and hell. Zion’s body was sent to hell to rule over the evilness while his soul became the king of heaven”

Silence.

The crowd was so immersed in the story that they were too engrossed to react.

“When the body and soul were separated, it was like separating two lovers who cannot live without each other. Every god knew their union would mean something catastrophic and so, they locked Zion’s body in hell, under protection so that it would never escape the place and never meet its soul”

“Do you think they’ll ever meet again?” someone from the crowd asked.

The old man shrugged. “Who can tell?”

“What will happen when they meet?”

“Maybe they’ll become enemies and rage wars” the man began. “Maybe they’ll become friends, maybe they’ll become lovers. But sooner or later, they will realize something”

“What is that?”

“That they complete each other. They need each other to survive. Without the other, each is nothing but empty.”

“They should fall in love and get married” a little boy said happily and the crowd cheered.

“But didn’t you say their union would mean something catastrophic?” a random voice from the crown asked. “So how can they fall in love and get married?”

“No one really knows what the catastrophe is.” The old man said. “No one even knows if it’s true or some farce created by the gods to keep them separate. We won’t really find out until they actually meet”

Baekhyun heard everything in absolute awe. The human had a knack for storytelling. Baekhyun loved each part, especially where the man had called Baekhyun and Chanyeol lovers. He had smiled the brightest then. Baekhyun kept his eyes on the man with full concentration as he moved on to another story, completely oblivious to the fact that since the man had said that they would be empty without each other, Chanyeol hadn’t take his eyes off Baekhyun.

Once the festivity was over, Chanyeol finally spoke to Baekhyun. “It’s time”

Baekhyun nodded. “Okay”

Chanyeol was a little surprised. For someone who had escaped hell to come to earth, Baekhyun didn’t seem too resistant to go back. Why did come here in the first place then?

Chanyeol looked around and there were still people everywhere. In that moment, Chanyeol hesitated to take the sofar out.

He had just shared food with these people. How could he kill them?

“Let’s find a clearing” Chanyeol said and he began walking away from everyone with Baekhyun carefully trailing behind him.

After walking for a few minutes, Chanyeol found a moderately unpopulated area.

“It’s time” he said.

Baekhyun nodded, a little nervous. “Will it hurt?”

“I don’t know” Chanyeol said passively.

“I can go only own” Baekhyun propositioned.

“The barriers are back up and you can’t enter now” Chanyeol said, drawing the sofar out from his robes.

Baekhyun saw the horn and his eyes widened. “Isn’t… isn’t that the Sofar of Death?”

Chanyeol nodded, a little surprised that Baekhyun knew about it when even he didn’t.

Baekhyun looked around frantically and still saw a few people dispersed here and there.

“You will kill them all if you play that”

“Collateral damage”

Baekhyun looked disgusted by these words. “How can you be so cruel?” he asked. “You want to take me back, you can do that, but there is no way I’m letting you kill these innocent people”

“There is no other choice”

“Yes there is” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol looked at him curiously. “A few miles down the road there is a forest that’s unoccupied. No humans live there. You can play the sofar and you wouldn’t have to kill anyone.”

Chanyeol stared at Baekhyun, perplexed. How was it that a creature from hell showed more compassion than Chanyeol did?

“Why do you care about the humans so much?”

Baekhyun did not take his eyes off Chanyeol. “How can I not? I created them” he said. “_We_ created them”

With these words, Baekhyun turned around to walk in the direction of the forest, leaving Chanyeol in a state of unfamiliar emotions. The warmth he felt in his heart was growing each minute that he spent with Baekhyun.

Chanyeol was beginning to bend his own rules. And he had no idea why.

The moon was high on the night sky and the stars were shining bright.

“Do you think the man was right? About the stars?” Baekhyun asked after walking for a while in silence.

Taking a small pause, he stopped on his tracks and looked up. “That the ones we consumed, were purified and turned into those” he said, pointing to the night sky.

Chanyeol looked into the dark canvass and saw the tiny dots that sparkled. “You don’t remember?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “I don’t remember anything. Except…”

“Except?”

“You” Baekhyun said, looking at Chanyeol. “My only memory from that time is you and all I remember is what I felt when they were separating you from me”

Chanyeol tore his eyes off the sky and turned towards Baekhyun. “Was it painful?”

Baekhyun nodded and Chanyeol saw the glimmer in his eyes that were not from being happy or excited. They were from the tears Baekhyun was fighting with. “It was very painful”

“I remember everything else” Chanyeol said after a while. “But I don’t remember the pain”

At this, Baekhyun smiled. “I am glad” he said and turned back around, continuing to walk.

“It’s true” Chanyeol called after him and Baekhyun turned again to look at Chanyeol.

“What is?”

Chanyeol simply pointed at the stars. “We made them”

Hearing Chanyeol say that brought out the biggest smile from Baekhyun that Chanyeol had seen the entire evening. As Baekhyun continued to walk ahead, Chanyeol quietly followed, unable to shake the feeling that Baekhyun had somehow managed to stir his heart.

As they continued to walk further, Chanyeol found himself being occupied by the thoughts of Baekhyun. Baekhyun hopped and galloped and sang his way through people and crowd, smiling at them, dancing with children, playing with them and Chanyeol was in an absolute fix.

All these years, since his creation, he had been led to believe that Baekhyun was this evil creature that wanted nothing but destruction. But the more time Chanyeol spent with him, the more he realized that it was all a lie.

He had thought Baekhyun was a malicious entity who would trick him and try to manipulate him. But he had not done any of those things. And what he still did not understand was, why did he escape to earth?

“Baekhyun” Chanyeol said when he could no longer keep his questions to himself.

They had passed two villages now and were just on the bridge to walk into the third one.

The reflection of the moon cast a mirage on the water, right between where Baekhyun and Chanyeol stood on the bridge, facing each other.

“Hmm?” Baekhyun asked.

“Why did you come to earth if you didn’t want to stay here? Why haven’t you evaded me?”

Baekhyun just smiled. “My intention was never to stay here. I just wanted to come and see how my creation had flourished and go back when the dawn breaks”

And then, Chanyeol asked something he never thought he would in a million, billion years.

“Do you want to stay longer?”

Baekhyun blinked at him. “Are you… are you serious?”

Chanyeol was too shocked himself to respond. He had no idea what he had just done and why.

Baekhyun jumped in happiness. “Okay” he said. “Let’s go”

“Where?”

Baekhyun pointed behind him and Chanyeol realized he was pointing towards the third village they were about to visit. “I’ve heard they have something call ale”

Baekhyun immediately strode forward with newfound energy and as Chanyeol stared at him, he couldn’t help but smile a little.

They reached the village in no time and Chanyeol found that it every corner was lit up with the festival they had just come from.

In this place too, everyone had gathered around to listen to the storytelling of Zion and Chanyeol did not understand why everyone shared the stories of Zion on this night. Was it because this was the day Zion had perished into nothingness, creating heaven and hell?

They quietly sat within the crowd as an old lady narrated the tale.

The beginning started off the same but it was towards the end that the story took a slightly different turn.

“… when they were separated into two, one represented the soul, while the other, represented the heart, which gave the soul a reason to exist.”

This was a little different from what Chanyeol had heard previously and he immediately looked at Baekhyun. Chanyeol was the soul and if what this woman said was true, it would mean Baekhyun was the heart. Chanyeol wondered if he really was what gave Chanyeol a reason to exist.

“The separation became a symbol of love and sacrifice” the woman continued. “Together, they represented a pair of lovers who had been separated by time or distance. They were two halves of a whole, one the heart and one the soul. Their union would make them complete, and this is why it is believed that when you find your other half, you become whole. Like your soul finally has a heart to keep it alive and the heart finally had a soul to keep it beating”

That were many words that were said after that but Chanyeol was already lost in his own thoughts. All he could think about was Baekhyun and how in just a few hours of meeting him, Chanyeol had gone against every principle he believed in. How he had defied his own laws.

And for what?

Only to see that smile on his face once again.

Baekhyun’s smile, was like sun coming out from behind a snowy mountain. It was warm and fulfilling and Chanyeol knew that it had melted his own cold heart too.

And he simply just couldn’t ignore how Baekhyun ignited the warmth within him.

All through time, being cold was not a choice Chanyeol had made. It was just who he was. Devoid of feelings. It was not because he wanted to come off like that but because all through his existence, he had always felt empty. Like something was missing. Like there was a void inside of him. And this made him angry and bitter, and to a huge extent, cold towards everyone else.

But then he met Baekhyun.

And the first time he saw him, he felt his heart growing warmer. Like Baekhyun was the missing piece that completed him. And only when he had heard the old man say it and this old woman repeat it, did Chanyeol realize that it was indeed true.

Two halves of one whole? Baekhyun was what made Chanyeol whole.

And he felt conflicted.

Now that he knew what Baekhyun was to him, he did not want to let go of him. This was the first time he had felt something in himself since he was created and he did not want to go back to being lifeless in the confines of heaven.

But Chanyeol was conflicted was because he knew he was here to send Baekhyun back to hell, to lock him back in hell. The longer he stayed here, the riskier it would be for everyone around. Even if the barrier was back in place, Baekhyun’s presence was enough to tear hole in it and let souls escape. And once they did, they would follow Baekhyun here on earth.

Baekhyun must have seen the dilemma on his face because he turned to look at him worriedly.

“Chanyeol” he said.

Involuntarily, Chanyeol closed his eyes. This was the first time Baekhyun had said his name out loud. And it was nothing short of divine.

“What’s wrong?” Baekhyun asked.

Chanyeol had already taken more time than he should have on earth. He should have been back by now. And he could sense it that the other gods were planning to come down themselves to see what was going on.

“The gods are coming. We need to go” Chanyeol said urgently. “Now”

Baekhyun did not have to be told twice. He immediately got up. “To the forest” he said and Chanyeol nodded.

Soon, they began escaping into the dead of the night, among the dense forest.

For a split second, Chanyeol turned back, only to see that one after the other, the gods had begun descending on earth. And there were almost ten of them.

But before they could locate either of them, Baekhyun and Chanyeol had already crossed the edge of the forest, being consumed by nothing but darkness.

They ran till they reached a big oak tree that was probably in the center of the forest. The area around the tree was clear with the sky finally visible above them.

“Can we rest for a while?” Baekhyun asked.

Chanyeol nodded in approval and Baekhyun stacked himself against the tree.

“It’s such a shame” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol looked at him in confusion. “That we didn’t get to taste the ale before we left”

Chanyeol couldn’t believe it. They were literally running to save the life of this creature from hell and he was busy making jokes at a time like this too.

“Oh come on” Baekhyun said when he got no reaction from Chanyeol. “Lighten up a little”

As usual, Chanyeol chose silence over everything else. He had already spoken more to Baekhyun in just a few hours than he had done in a whole years. And it was strange.

No one else evoked speech from him but for some reason, he wanted to talk to Baekhyun. Like he was the only one who would understand him.

“Why are you doing this?” Baekhyun asked after a while. His voice was deep and somber.

Chanyeol did not know what to say, how to say it. He wasn’t sure if he was right to feel what he felt and he wasn’t sure if Baekhyun would understand it.

And so, he chose to say something else.

“I don’t know what they’ll do to you when they find you”

Baekhyun cocked his head and shifted his position till he was sitting right in front of Chanyeol.

“Why do you care what they do to me?”

Again, Chanyeol was speechless. He had no words that seemed fit. Instead, he just looked away.

“Tell me Chanyeol” Baekhyun said but Chanyeol did not respond.

This was the problem. If Chanyeol could, he would have told Baekhyun why he cared. But words were never his allies when he was overwhelmed with emotions.

“Do you not want me to go?” Baekhyun suddenly asked and Chanyeol looked at him in astonishment. How was it that Baekhyun read him so clearly?

When Chanyeol did not respond, Baekhyun gave out a smile. “I am going to take your lack of response as a yes” he said.

Chanyeol suddenly became too aware of everything, even himself. Baekhyun’s word made him feel strange. And he looked away again, hoping it wasn’t too evident on his face.

“You know I can’t stay here Chanyeol”

Chanyeol knew. He more than knew. And he was trying to convince himself to send Baekhyun back.

“Just a while longer” Chanyeol whispered slowly and Baekhyun basked in the glory of his words.

“Okay” he said, lying on the ground. “Just a little while then”

A while lasted only a few hours. It was way past midnight now. Chanyeol, just like Baekhyun, was lying on the ground, next to him, staring up at the open sky.

“How many stars have we made, do you think?” Baekhyun asked.

“Billions” Chanyeol replied.

Baekhyun turned to him and smiled. “I like it when you talk” he said and Chanyeol did not take his eyes from the stars, even when he knew that Baekhyun was looking at him. He had no idea what he would do if he stared into those eyes again.

“What is heaven like?”

“Lifeless” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun sighed. “Can you add just a couple more words to your answers?”

“It’s pretty lifeless” Chanyeol said and Baekhyun began laughing.

“Never did I think that you of all people could make a joke” he said clutching his stomach.

Chanyeol did not react but he felt the sudden swelling in his heart when he realized that he had made Baekhyun laugh. And did he love the sound of that laughter!

It was the most unique sound in the world. Baekhyun was tiny. And Chanyeol had expected his laugh to be something like a giggle. But instead, he let out a deep, husky voice and Chanyeol loved the sound of it.

Baekhyun closed one eye and raised his hand up, pointing his finger at the stars. He connected them, one after the other and continued doing it for a while.

“Do you think it’s time now?” he asked, hand still in the air.

Chanyeol did not know what overcame him but he suddenly grabbed Baekhyun’s hand midair and sat straight.

Baekhyun gasped at the sudden movement, at the sudden touch. This was the first time their skin had come in contact with each other.

“Why are you so impatient about going back?” Chanyeol asked in frustration.

“Because we’re just delaying the inevitable” Baekhyun said, sitting back up.

“Then we keep delaying it” Chanyeol said. Even he wasn’t aware of what was making him speak his heart out.

“You know we can’t do that. I don’t like running away Chanyeol. I didn’t run away from hell. This was a temporary visit. I need to go back”

Chanyeol closed his eyes. He did not know why he was getting angry. “I don’t want you to go back” he finally said.

“Why?”

“Because…” Chanyeol wasn’t sure how these words would make Baekhyun react but he didn’t care anymore. “Because I don’t know when I’ll see you again”

Saying these words, Chanyeol looked straight at Baekhyun, to figure out what he was thinking, to figure out what he might say. But Baekhyun did neither.

Instead, he snuck his hand behind Chanyeol’s neck and pulled him towards himself, locking their lips in warm kiss.

Of all the things, Chanyeol had definitely not expected Baekhyun to react in such a way. But soon after Baekhyun parted his lips to take Chanyeol’s in his, the latter gave in to his desires completely.

An insurmountable wave of shock, wrapped up in pleasure rang through his body.

Chanyeol grabbed Baekhyun by the waist and dived in, exploring the insides of his mouth like it was the universe he was exploring.

Their teeth cluttered against each others’ as they became more urgent, more impatient in their ordeal. Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol by his hair and pulled him down onto himself, never leaving his lips.

The red of Baekhyun plumpness tasted like cherries and Chanyeol wanted to indulge himself in them even more. And they were driving him mad.

Chanyeol rushed to take his robes off and so did Baekhyun. Under the moonlight, Baekhyun’s skin glowed like it had a shine of its own. Baekhyun stared back, taking in whole of Chanyeol’s make and engraving it in his mind. He too was not sure when he would see Chanyeol again.

Suddenly Baekhyun smiled.

Chanyeol looked at him, confounded in his own thoughts.

“Tell me that you want me, Chanyeol” Baekhyun teased.

All Chanyeol did was blink at him. Not in a million years would Chanyeol say something like that.

“Tell me” Baekhyun demanded.

Chanyeol was straddling Baekhyun, sitting right on top of him but the moment Baekhyun said that, he began to get up.

Baekhyun smiled again. So Chanyeol was teasing him too.

He grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

“If you can’t tell me” Baekhyun softly whispered. “Then show me”

This earned him a very tiny, very satisfying smile from Chanyeol and the latter did not hold back in letting his emotions out using his actions.

He immediately bent down, claiming Baekhyun by his lips and this time, the kiss was much more passionate than the last time. Baekhyun could taste the madness on the edges of Chanyeol’s lips and he loved it.

Their hands danced through each others’ bodies as they heat created by each kiss, each friction pushed them closer to losing their controls.

Chanyeol wanted Baekhyun, all of him and he didn’t know if he could hold back anymore. The way Baekhyun reacted to his touches, told him that he wanted Chanyeol just as bad.

He was about to reach down and graze his hand over Baekhyun’s fullness when suddenly he heard the rustling of leaves.

He immediately got off Baekhyun and stared at the blackness of the forest, straight ahead.

“Chanyeol” Baekhyun asked, getting up. “What’s wrong?”

Chanyeol drew his finger to his lips and asked him to remain silent.

Just as he was about to get up to check who it was, a sudden quaver ran through the forest. Chanyeol looked around and found that the leaved on trees had begun rattling like there was an immense wave of wind flowing through them.

The only problem was, the air was perfectly still.

“Chanyeol move away” Baekhyun said, placing himself in front of him.

The moment Baekhyun stepped forward, he knew what had shaken up the entire forest.

“What is it?” Chanyeol asked.

“They’re souls, from hell” Baekhyun said.

Just as these words were spoken out loud, both eyes panned across the area in a circular motion and they saw that from the very edge of the clearing, spirits were approaching them.

“Why are they here?” Chanyeol asked, ready to fight if need be.

“They’re drawn towards me”

The souls seem enraged, deprived. They all seemed malicious and hurtful. It seemed like they were coming to hurt Baekhyun. And Chanyeol would never let them do that.

“Stop” Chanyeol said, drawing his hand out when a sudden burst of light rippled across the forest, freezing each soul. But he knew he had no power or control to kill souls from hell. He could only delay them.

“It won’t hold them for long” Chanyeol said. “We need to get out from here”

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun reached for the robes and were about to leave when another voice stopped them.

“Chanyeol” it said and Chanyeol turned around to see Junmyeon approaching them from the other side of the clearing. With the other gods following close behind.

“I had warned you against this” he said.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked.

“I told you before you came here that if you were to be together, the consequences will be catastrophic”

Chanyeol looked around. The souls that had bled from hell into earth, were not here because of Baekhyun. They were here because of the unification of him and Chanyeol.

This was what they meant when they said that the two gods coming together would be catastrophic? That it would destroy the world? The earth and the humans that Baekhyun loved the most?

Chanyeol would never let that happen.

“He needs to go back Chanyeol” Junmyeon said. “They all do”

Chanyeol turned around and saw Baekhyun standing beside him, his hand tightly clutching Chanyeol’s arm.

“Can you send the spirits back?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun softly.

Baekhyun shook his head. “They’ll only leave once I do.”

Chanyeol closed his eyes. There had to be another way. He couldn’t just sit and do nothing about it.

“Can you control them?”

For a second, Baekhyun looked scared. Like he knew what these resentful souls were capable of doing. He knew they would stop at nothing until they killed every human on earth.

And Chanyeol saw that fear.

“Baekhyun” he said, turning around and taking his face in his hands. “Look at me”

Baekhyun tore his eyes away from the spirits and looked at Chanyeol.

“I am here with you, I’ll help you. I’ll do whatever you need.” Chanyeol said.

Baekhyun nodded.

“I think… I think I can control them” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol bent down and kissed him on his lips again. “Let’s do this”

The moment their lips met, the frozen spirits came back to life again, and began approaching them faster than ever.

The other gods turned around and they saw the spirits approach them. They drew they weapons from the air and began smiting the souls, one after the other. But there were too many.

“Give me your hand” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol followed.

As their hand clasped against each other, Baekhyun closed his eyes, trying to gather his strength and power. Zion as one was the most powerful than all. And even though his powers had been split into two, Baekhyun knew it was still enough.

Taking a deep breath in, Baekhyun suddenly opened his eyes and a burst of red energy passed through the air.

“Stop” he commanded and suddenly all the spirits came to a sudden halt, like they’d been hypnotized.

“You will do as I say” Baekhyun said and with these words, every last spirit there bowed down to him.

“Send them back Chanyeol” Junmyeon’s voice reached him. “As long as Baekhyun is here, the spirits will stay here too”

Baekhyun turned to look at Chanyeol too. “You have to let me go” he said.

“No” Chanyeol replied immediately. “I will not”

Baekhyun took both his hand in his and went closer.

“You know how much I love this place” he said. “I can’t let anything happen to it”

“I can’t let you go Baekhyun” Chanyeol whispered, unsure of his voice. “I just can’t”

“You have to”

Chanyeol could feel the tears surfacing in his eyes. “I don’t know when I will see you again”

Baekhyun smiled at him and let his hands go. “Chanyeol look at me”

Chanyeol immediately opened his eyes and looked at Baekhyun.

“You know heaven and hell can’t cross paths, right?”

Chanyeol already knew that. He knew that more than anyone. Why was Baekhyun telling this to him?

“You know that creatures from hell can’t go to heaven and creatures from heaven can’t go to hell, right?”

“Is this your way of telling me that we’ll never see each other again?” Chanyeol asked.

“Look at you” Baekhyun teased lightly. “Using your words and stuff”

Chanyeol held Baekhyun’s hand tightly, asking him to be serious.

“I cannot come and see you in heaven Chanyeol” Baekhyun continued. “And you can’t come see me in hell. A place where I am locked”

Chanyeol did not want to hear this. This was Baekhyun’s final goodbye and it was killing him from the inside.

He shook his head in denial.

“I’ll find a way” Chanyeol said. “I’ll break the curse and the barrier. I’ll come find you”

“You can’t do that” Baekhyun whispered. “You can’t risk the entire creation just for me”

“I can”

“I won’t let you”

Chanyeol finally felt the tears rolling out. “I don’t know what to do Baekhyun” he said, pulling Baekhyun close to him and wrapping him in his arms. “I don’t know what to do”

After a while, Baekhyun pulled away.

“You know what happens when we come together” Baekhyun said, pointing to all the spirits there. “They will follow us here and they won’t leave until I do”

“I don’t care”

“But I do, Chanyeol” Baekhyun said. “I care for this place and those living here. This place is proof that we…” he said, pointing to first Chanyeol and then himself, “… you and I can create wonders. And I can’t let anything destroy this place. Especially not my own greed.”

Chanyeol was running out of his mind. He did not know what to do anymore. He looked at Junmyeon who was waiting for him to send Baekhyun and the spirits back but he couldn’t just do it without knowing that he was going to see Baekhyun again.

Suddenly he knew what to do.

“Once a year” he said out loud.

Baekhyun and Junmyeon looked at Chanyeol in confusion.

“Once a year what?” Junmyeon asked.

“Once a years, I will meet Baekhyun” he said and turned to Baekhyun.

“I can’t go to hell, you cannot go to heaven. We cannot risk the spirits going loose so once a year, on this day, we’ll meet here, right here” Chanyeol continued.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol worriedly. “But the spirits…”

“You and I can control them together, you know we did just now”

Baekhyun mused over it. He was definitely stronger with Chanyeol by his side. Once a year would not really be a risk and he could let the spirits wander freely by commanding them to not hurt anyone.

Junmyeon was silent. And both turned to him.

“I don’t know” he said. “I like seeing you like this Chanyeol, seeing that you care, but what if it doesn’t work?”

“Then we deal with it then” Chanyeol said. “You know I do not need your permission to make this happen but I’d like if you gave me your consent, as a friend”

Junmyeon stared at Chanyeol in surprise. Five millenniums. It took Chanyeol five millenniums to finally admit that they were friend.

“Fine” Junmyeon said. “I’ll talk to the others but there are conditions that you have to follow”

“What conditions?” Baekhyun asked.

“You can meet each other at dusk on 31st October of every year and be together till the dawn the next day. As soon as the daylight strikes, Baekhyun and his troops of spirits go back to hell”

Baekhyun eyes lit up at those words and Chanyeol loved the sparkle in them.

Chanyeol nodded. This was more than he could ask for.

“Okay then” Junmyeon said. “I’ll talk to others and let them know”

He then looked at the sky that was starting to fade.

“It’s going to be dawn soon. Make sure he’s back by then”

Chanyeol said his goodbye to Junmyeon and the latter left with the other gods.

Baekhyun then turned towards Chanyeol. “Now will you let me go”

Chanyeol reached out and pulled Baekhyun towards himself, claiming his lips again. “We still have some time” he said through the kiss and Baekhyun smiled.

“Keep your ideas to yourself till we met again” Baekhyun said, pulling away.

Chanyeol couldn’t take his eyes off Baekhyun.

“We’ll be okay, right?”

Baekhyun nodded. “We’ll be more than okay. You’re the god of heaven, I’m the god of hell. What could go wrong?”

Chanyeol laughed lightly at his. He took Baekhyun’s hand in his and slightly bent down to place a kiss on his forehead.

“It’s time, Chanyeol” Baekhyun whispered.

Nodding, Chanyeol drew the Sofar of Death from his robes.

“Ready?” Chanyeol asked.

“Ready” Baekhyun replied.

Placing the horn between his lips, Chanyeol blew on it softly.

A haunting, yet alluring melody rang through the forest and slowly, the spirits began disappearing one after the other.

When the last of the spirits were about to vanish, Chanyeol turned to Baekhyun.

“I think I love you”

Baekhyun smiled and shook his head. “Oh you fool” he said. “I’ve loved you since the day I first saw you”

With these words, Baekhyun vanished too, with a promise to see Chanyeol again, next year.

And finally, Chanyeol understood what hope actually meant.

Since then, every year on 31st October, the heaven let the barriers down just enough for Baekhyun to escape. Since then, they celebrated the day not as the separation of Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but as their union.

What neither the god of hell nor the god of heaven knew, was that years from now, their union on earth, which led spirits to wander free until dawn, would be celebrated throughout the world as a festival called Halloween.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I did.


End file.
